By Pascal Opaada (Social Media/Tech Reporter)
The ministerial list released by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday drew mixed reactions, among which is the exclusion of the immediate past governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, whose name was conspicuously missing from the list.
According to them, Amobode’s last-minute manoeuvre before he left office in May this year had made them believe he would clinch a ministerial slot from Buhari whom he was warming up to prior to the last election.
When he lost the party’s ticket to his successor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Ambode had harped on compensation as a way to calm frayed nerves among his supporters.
Many believed his initial opposition to Sanwo-Olu, when he called a world press conference where he inferred that Sanwo-Olu was a fugitive from the U.S. and a mentally imbalanced man, was orchestrated by Aso Rock who asked him to dig his feet in and fight the powers that be in Lagos. He was reportedly assured of being compensated by Abuja should the worst happen.
So, today the ministerial list is out and he name is missing. Nigerians have reacted differently to his exclusion.
While some believe he deserved to be excluded on account what they termed his abandonment of Lagos in the twilight of his administration, others said he should have been compensated with at least a junior ministerial position.
Others say his exclusion was the handiwork of his former benefactor, Bola Tinubu who refused Ambode return as the governor of Lagos state for the second time.
They said the way Ambode treated the elders of the party, especially Tinubu had made them vow to stop him from becoming anything other than a former governor.
His predecessor, Babatunde Fashola made the list a second time. According to analysts, Buhari insisted on having Fashola in his team despite Tinubu’s initial refusal.
Former Youth and Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, whom many said would have been disastrous if he made the list, was dropped.
